Antisemitism, Agnotology and Canada; Enmity with Russia Has Justified the Unspeakable

 

Last month, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman underlined the growing rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Israel. As the world awaits the Kingdom entering the Abraham Accords, the Saudis have quietly lain antisemitism to rest just at the same moment that the Western Alliance courts, evades and sometimes celebrates antisemitism and far from here arms Neo-Nazis. Today Israel and Saudi Arabia face the maniacal retaliation for daring to approach peace from the rabidly Islamist Iranian theocracy in the unfolding conflict of Hamas invading Israel and Hezbollah poised to do the same. Almost forgotten is the obscenity of the Canadian Parliament hailing a veteran Nazi: enmity with Russia justifies even the unspeakable.

The unspeakable has happened: the standing ovation by  Canadian parliament for Yaroslav Hunka, Ukrainian veteran of the Waffen-SS Galicia Division. Hunka was lauded in full view of Zelensky (himself applauding with emotion) saluted as a warrior who had fought against the Russians.

The events have ignited an uproar in Canada. The Canadian Speaker of the House promptly resigned; Canada – already struggling with the Deschenes Commission ( a 1985 inquiry into 800 cases of people suspected of being Nazis accused of war crimes and crimes  against humanity, much of which remains redacted) is now facing intensified calls to unseal the record and  release the names of hundreds of Nazis provided sanctuary in Canada after World War Two, even as  Canada repeatedly denied entrance to fleeing Jews on the SS St. Louis. Former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon MacKenzie had  withheld entry to the Jews on board by saying ‘ None is too many” condemning many of the Jewish passengers to death in concentration camps as the ship returned to Nazi Europe.  Around the world millions wonder, Canada, what the heck happened?

I called my friend in Toronto, Shael Rosenbaum- grandson of four Polish Holocaust survivors, leads  Canada’s Yad Vashem in Toronto. I needed to know what the Canadian Jewish community and Canada’s Holocaust survivor community were feeling.  I knew Shael would know- almost 200 members of Shael’s family were murdered in the Holocaust.  (more...)

Antisemitism, Agnotology and Canada; Enmity with Russia Has Justified the Unspeakable